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When Steve Nash's team flight landed overnight, it was not his first return to Phoenix.

When Nash spends time Wednesday with his 2-year-old son and 8-year-old daughters, it will be only the latest of interstate reunions.

When Nash traverses the visitors' tunnel to the US Airways Center court in gold, this trip will become unique.

Nash, perhaps the most popular Suns player ever, returns Wednesday night to the arena where he left to chants of "We want Steve" in April and where he left a two-time Most Valuable Player's imprints for eight years.

"It's a very special place to me," Nash said. "I can't wait to get back and see everybody. So many great memories, great seasons and relationships that mean the world to me. I'm thrilled to come back and play. But in some respects, it'll be strange to not wear a Suns uniform."

Once Nash knew the Suns would not offer him a chance to continue his reign as Phoenix's king of the court, he requested a sign-and-trade deal to the Los Angeles Lakers to stay close to his children. They live with their mother in the Valley, far away from free-agency options in Toronto and New York.

This season, Nash has made day trips to see the kids four times and they joined him in Manhattan Beach for six extended stays.

"I'd do that 10 times out of 10 just so I could see my kids almost frequently," Nash said.

The basketball side did not pan out so well. The Lakers were a purported power once they acquired Nash and Dwight Howard but have proven barely better than the Suns. Nash missed 24 games with a leg fracture, and team problems ran deeper with Mike Brown's firing and Mike D'Antoni's hiring. The Lakers entered Tuesday at 19-25, a midpoint between playoff position and last-place Phoenix.

That eases the sight of Nash's return. Unlike Shawn Marion and Amar'e Stoudemire, Nash will be honored with a video tribute.

"To me, it's not like any super-special game or anything," Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver said. "The thing that is a little bit different that has the most impact is when you just see a player that's played for you for a long time wearing a different jersey. It looks a little funny for you. Other than that, to me, it's another game."

Nash was "stung" by not getting an offer by the Suns, who opened free agency by visiting Michael Beasley and Robin Lopez instead.

In Phoenix, Nash said fans never are negative about his move to the Lakers, even though he would understand if they were.

"There wasn't an option to stay," Nash said. "I tried for two months. They knew I wanted to stay but they wanted to go in a new direction.

"That's the nature of the beast. You can't play forever. Teams and eras come and go. The team has a loyalty to winning and fans. If keeping me was going to impair their future, I totally understand. I don't hold grudges. I move on. If I had to nitpick or cry over spilled milk, it would've been nice to know that before free agency or even if they had just told me. I never got that message. There was just no interest."

The Suns acquired two first-round picks, two second-round picks and $3.1million in the Nash trade. If the Lakers miss the playoffs, getting an unprotected first-round lottery pick would change the scope of a deal that Sarver based on Nash's age (39 in eight days).

"When you're moving a player that's been with you a long time and contributed a lot to your success, it's emotional and it's tough," Sarver said. "I've tried to study some of the better organizations in pro sports, like the New England Patriots. The better organizations, even though it's emotionally very difficult, make tough decisions that are focused purely on the team."

Nash has shot as well as ever but has far less offensive control, even after the reunion with D'Antoni, to average 11.5 points and 8.1 assists.

"We just don't have the personnel to play that way," Nash said of D'Antoni's Suns teams. "I'm not going to get the same opportunities. We have so many post players, Kobe (Bryant) included, that it's hard to space the floor."

Nash's ailing team has been a distraction from the approaching emotional night. He is promised a positive ovation, if only for the omnipresence of Lakers fans in Phoenix.

Goran Dragic, Nash's apprentice, has his old locker. Only five of last season's teammates are playing. Alvin Gentry, the coach who arrived with him in 2004, is gone.

"That's a tough one," Nash said. "It's sad for me to see him go. I'm disappointed he won't be there for my first game back. Most people saw it coming. They've been transitioning out of that era and trying to start fresh."